


Invasive Species

by Precursor



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Depression, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Service Dogs, Suicidal Thoughts, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Precursor/pseuds/Precursor
Summary: "An invasive species can be any kind of living organism that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm."She'd read it somewhere between flights overseas, right before washing up on the shores of enemy territory.  Regardless of where she found it, Tess Bronson, a veteran of the war between the Ferngill Republic and the Gotoro Empire, couldn't agree more.
Relationships: Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Invasive Species

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [For a Long Time Looking at Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9634940) by [GingerD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerD/pseuds/GingerD). 



Tess stood outside of Stardrop Saloon, snow falling gently around the door and piling on the roof – a stark contrast against the black of night. She observed the rustic look of it, like it was a hand-crafted piece of art itself. One that had been neglected, because maybe the owner just wasn’t pulling in enough business to repaint the faded wooden sign.

She read _another_ sign, one of aluminum that’d been lazily hung by thread rather than bolted on properly.

_“NO DOGS OR PETS ALLOWED.”_

She took one last drag of her cigarette before dropping it in the snow, the fire hushed into a sizzle, and the sizzle hushed by the crushing of her boot.

“Well, Aya…” Tess adjusted the thick strap digging into her shoulder, looking down at her four-legged companion. “Time to piss some people off.”

A lack of business wasn’t the reason the place was a fixer-upper from the outside. Tess started to put together that the reason it was so poorly maintained was because it was _too_ busy. The two workers behind the counter, an older man and a younger woman with blue hair, which struck Tess as odd, frantically ran between opposite ends of the bar. Sometimes, the woman would even rush out and make rounds throughout the tables.

But when Tess entered, standing in the doorway…there was a hush that fell over the saloon. She pulled her shemagh down from under her eyes; her cotton, _mangy_ , fingerless gloves on the thickly woven fabric. She removed her beanie, closing the door behind her as she smoothed out her hair. And then, without missing a beat, ignored all the gawking faces.

She unshouldered the olive-green duffle bag that’d left her shoulders bruised and sore, dropping it to the ground as she took a seat at one of the barstools. The old man had approached her, nervous, fiddling with his obnoxious mustache before finally growing the balls to studder a few syllables. She hadn’t even acknowledged him before getting settled in, cracking a few buttons on her coat and unzipping the leather jacket underneath.

“Ma’am, I’m s-sorry…but-“

A whimper cut him off, and Tess looked down. Aya’s bright brown, amber eyes glistened above her muzzle. She wished she could just take it off her. The muzzle, the harness, the leash, the collar, all of it.

“I know, girl…” Tess leaned down to scratch her ears, “But people are stupid, which would make you do stupid things, and then some veterinarian with a big ass needle would try to pull more stupid shit.”

She looked away from Aya. “Pint of your best, please.”

“Ma’am, the dog. There’s a sign-“

Tess scowled, rolling her eyes before plucking a small book from the lining of her coat and tossing it across the counter. “She’s a military vet.” She cocked her head to the side, using her hood as support for her neck, disgusted by the dumbfounded look on the barkeep’s face while she pulled Aya’s papers away, “Now, about that drink.”

It wasn’t long until he returned with her order. She took two huge swigs, holding the glass with one hand. She lowered it and tilted it forward until the golden liquid was dancing with the rim. Aya tucked her snout, the metal rings of her muzzle clanking with the glass until her tongue slipped out and stole some of the ale for herself.

“Easy, girl. That’s enough for you.” Tess drank some more before giving her a pat on the head.

She didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought, never did. Maybe in high school, but that ended with ROTC. Not giving a fuck what anyone thought propelled her career with Ferngill Republic’s Royal Navy. And when the Royal Navy stopped giving a fuck about her, Aya - _them_ …she proceeded to not give a fuck about clueless civilians making baseless judgements on a woman sharing a beer with her dog.

…

Tess stumbled out of the saloon, Aya close to her heels. She let out a low growl for a burp, and unfolded a brochure in her pocket. One with a map. She’d seen a lot of maps – with less advertisements, granted, but this was nothing new.

“Should be…right up this road here…” She sniffed, tucking the brochure under her arm. 

She adjusted the strap that left marks on her shoulders, although, those painful sores were now numb and dulled. Everything was.

Tess fished under the canteen dangling at her waist, finding a flask behind it. She took one swig of burning rum, and then another. And another. The walk to the farm seemed endless. She was overheating, stumbling, and with each step her body seemed to gain another pound.

The farther she got from the town, the darker it was. She could have admired the stars, now vibrant without light pollution. Shit, she might have been able to see the galaxy stream, or whatever the fuck it was called. That’s not where she was looking. No, her head was on a swivel, and her hairs on her neck stood straight up.

She unlatched the holster on her hip, a preliminary approach. She kneeled before Aya, taking the muzzle and leash off. The harness would stay – it was probably helping keep her warm. Not like she wasn’t used to wearing one. The vests overseas were a lot heavier, though.

Aya was calm, and that helped Tess remain calm. Helped her not get in her own head. Tess cracked open her flashlight, pointing it straight. 

There were no sounds other than the crunching of her feet and the soft patter of paws below her. Wind would sometime jostle thick evergreen trees, or clatter bare oaks like skeleton chimes.

Maybe this was wrong, taking off without a word. It was an elaborate plan. One that would end with her family forgetting her, and _her_ forgetting what had happened.

Fly into a city no one’s ever heard of. Take a bus from there to Zuzu city. Buy another bus ticket headed for the opposite side of the country, and then never board the bus. Walk through Stardew Valley. Find Pelican Town. Those were her self-issued orders.

Her and Aya had been walking for the majority of the day, and instead of going straight home, she made the intelligent decision to head straight into a bar. Now that they’d stumbled on Tess’s late grandfather’s property…the source of family drama, severed ties, and ownership disputes…she’d wished she’d shown up a little earlier.

The place was in complete disarray. His Jeep was parked next to the house, the soft top sagging from years of too much snow. Trees, forest debris, and waterlogged soil were hidden by a white blanket – just like all the furniture inside the house. Family members covered all his belongings in canvas tarps, in there. Outside, the world was just trying to hide all the ravaging it’d let loose on this humble farm in the absence of someone who gave a damn.

Tess toggled the light switch next to the door. No power. She sighed, pointing her flashlight at a barren fireplace. Looking around, she hoped to find dry wood nearby. But, of course, she had no luck. She dropped her military duffle bag, dust pluming as it hit the wooden planks. She felt Aya, tried to gauge her temperature, and instead found raw sores where her harness had rubbed against her flanks. Aya didn’t flinch. 

“Such a strong girl, aren’t you?” Tess whispered, playing with Aya’s ears. 

They were always floppy, ever since she “signed on.” She loved having them played with – a love second only to finding IEDs left behind by the soldiers with the Gotoro Empire. A chill ran down her spine, and she shut the door leading back to her tours before she stepped through. Took her flask, drank more.

The two walked to the porch, finding a pile of wood just outside the door. It was wet, but the overhang kept most of the snow off. She had all the tools someone would need to make a day-long hiking trip during the coldest weeks of winter. A fire starter was one of them.

It took some effort and a lot of time, but before long, Tess and Aya had a nice fire going. A warm fire. A place to hang their wet clothes – or harness. Tess pulled the neck of her turtleneck to cover her chin, looking at her military fatigues tucked in all-terrain combat boots.

She let Aya drink as much water as she wanted from her canteen before giving her food, and while she was content munching away on MREs that had no business being served to a dog, Tess opened the letter that brought her here.

_“If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.”_

Her grandfather was right – the same thing did happen to him, long ago. He’d served too. This place, this is where he escaped all of it. All the sympathetic looks, the loved ones walking on shards of glass wondering when the next outrage was going to happen, all the nightmares, the _day_ mares – this is where he put it _all_ to rest. This is where _he_ was put to rest.

Rest.

The word had lost meaning.

In his old age, Grandpa Bronson knew she _too_ would need a place to redefine it.

Tess kicked off her boots, an overwhelming sadness taking her hostage. She wiggled her right foot, observing a damp sock stretched across five toes. One of the most dependable parts of the body – they can take you anywhere. Flesh and bone transportation.

But then there was the left extremity. A carbon fiber blade stuck to the bottom of a steel pole, _jammed_ in a socket custom-fit for the bottom of her thigh.

Tess _had_ been in dire need of change…because of a change that was forced upon her by senseless acts of war. Whether or not this was the place she truly belonged – that had yet to be determined.

_“If this place fixed Grandpa…”_

She ran her hand along Aya’s soft head, the dog’s eyes fluttering asleep.

_“…Then maybe it can fix us, too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Message I posted to the Deviant Behavior Discord:**
> 
> Who can take an 8-bit, pixelated game revolving around wholesome human interactions and farming and make it the saddest thing you’ve ever seen? That’s right – GingerD, the person who wrote the fic that I’ve been reading on and off for a few months now.
> 
> “The plot bunnies escaped the hutch,” so to speak. I have **NOT** left behind the _I Am Alive_ series, I just need a break from writing the same material (and need a break from obsessing over organizing my original piece I’ve been working on!)
> 
> SO, as an early Christmas present, I wrote something that **literally no one** asked for:
> 
> **A Stardew Valley mini fic**
> 
> Hopefully this little project will be what I need to get the Sci-Fi juices flowing again. I’m all for doom, gloom, and the eventual societal/relationship collapse (See: Machine Learning and Natural Selection) but I really think I might just need a new environment to set on fire, even if it’s only for a few thousand words before going back to Detroit, The Commonwealth, Thedas, or Felwinter Peak.
> 
> Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas – and if my social meter is depleted before New Years, cheers to 2020 as well.
> 
> Keep on writing – or doing whatever you keep telling yourself you don’t have time to do but REALLY WANT TO!!!


End file.
